Janet Robin

From Randy Rhoads To Precious Metal, from Lindsey Buckingham to her own solo career, the ongoing tale of guitarist / singer / songwriter Janet Robin is a fascinating journey.

It’s the tale of how a young girl barely into grade school fell in love with the guitar as she took lessons from an axe-slinger about to make his own mark upon the rock world. It’s a story where the daughter of a Southern California dentist grows up to join the 1980s all-girl band Precious Metal, plays in Lindsey Buckingham’s first solo group and further evolves into the performer she is today.

Janet Robin


(Jane McCord)

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Robin’s lifelong passion didn’t begin with seeing The Beatles on TV or watching B.B. King performing on “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson.” Instead, her journey was inspired by a keen desire to best her older brothers in everything they did, a classic case of sibling one-upmanship that resulted in her life’s passion.

“I started on karate,” Robin told Pollstar. “My brothers were taking karate and I wanted to do everything they did.”

Robin began her karate studies when she was five years old and quickly learned the blunt reality of playing full-contact sports when her instructor accidentally knocked her out, ending her desire to best her bros in the dojo. No matter. It wasn’t long before one of her big brothers had a new passion – the guitar. Of course, Robin just had to follow him.

The guitar lessons started when she was six, as Robin learned classical, folk and acoustic during three years of lessons that eventually led to a moment that would define her for the rest of her life.

“We got a recommendation that there was this hot electric guitar teacher named Randy Rhoads,” Robin said. “He taught at his mom’s place, which happened to be around the corner from my parents’ house in North Hollywood where I grew up. We went to him, but my mom wouldn’t let me play electric right away.”

But Rhoads taught only electric guitar and Robin had yet to plug in. She “begged, begged and begged” her mother for an electric, and after months of her pleadings, mom complied. And Robin switched teachers.

“This was in a school,” Robin remembers, describing the place as a house converted into a music studio called “Musonia.”

“It’s still there in North Hollywood. His mom is still alive, but she’s kind of retired. She ran the place for years. She’s a piano teacher. She had other teachers there – classical guitar and Randy.”

While talking about her years as Rhoads’ pupil, Robin paints a somewhat unexpected portrait of the young man who would go on to form Quiet Riot and eventually play with Ozzy Osbourne before dying in a 1982 private plane crash.

“He didn’t say much. He was very quiet,” Robin said of Rhoads. “When he did say something to me it meant something. He would be very specific. It was really very loose teaching. He would show me a rhythm pattern he came up with. Many times these patterns would end up being Ozzy Osbourne songs or Quiet Riot songs.

“We would do progressions and then he would solo. It was nuts. I would be like, ‘What the hell is this?’ I’ve never seen anyone play like that.”

Janet At 13

(on the left) playing at her own Bat Mitzvah

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Aside from taking lessons from Rhoads, Robin – who hadn’t yet entered high school – was also getting a taste of playing in neighborhood garage bands. However, her first band was with her brother, and like many big brothers, Robin’s wasn’t all that crazy about rocking out with little sister.

“So I got really into it. It kind of became a thing, to prove, even at that age because I was playing with all these boys. There were absolutely no girls playing any instruments, not even bass. I knew some girls that played piano, but I wanted to play the rock songs. I was covering Rush and all that crap. None of the girls I was friends with were interested in that, just boys.”

Meanwhile, Robin continued her lessons with Rhoads, who at that time was on the brink of rock history.

“Then between 10 and 12, I started to go to his shows with Quiet Riot at a big Hollywood club back in the day called The Starwood,” Robin said. “I was allowed in if I was escorted by my parents. We went two or three times to see Quiet Riot but I really went to see Randy. I was sitting in the audience thinking, Oh my God! This is what I want to do! This is amazing!”

The story of the Sunset Strip during the 1980s is punctuated with stories of glam metal bands hustling to be noticed by almost God-like record label execs. Quiet Riot, Guns N’ Roses, Poison and Ratt were just some of the bands playing clubs like The Whisky A Go Go, The Roxy, Club Lingerie and Gazzarri’s during the Reagan era. But while tales of ‘80s debauchery and excess abound, Robin’s young teenage viewpoint reveals it wasn’t always a mega-hedonistic scene.

Janet & Kelle

Janet Robin with Randy Rhoad’s brother, Kelle.

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“Randy was a - Pollstar

On the sleeve that accompanies the new album by Janet Robin, EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED, we have the singer-songwriter-guitarist coming at us purposely with her acoustic Taylor - brandishing it more like - all smiles and ready for action. No stranger to the big stage, Janet Robin has worked with the likes of the Lindsey Buckingham Band, the Meredith Brooks Band and Air Supply and has made a reputation for herself as an outstanding guitarist who is equally at home with the Taylors as well as the Fenders and is fearless in her approach. Michelle Shocked reportedly suggested that Robin is 'one of the best guitarists in the country: male or female.' Assuming that the country in question is America, then that's a pretty hefty responsibility, to be one of the best amongst that particular bunch of musicians.

Sporting a variety of stage costumes and big hairdos throughout the 80s, including spells in garage and glam rock bands, most notably Precious Metal, Robin cut her teeth on the LA rock scene, which paved her way towards working with the likes of the former Fleetwood Mac guitarist and gained her a reputation of being a first rate musician.

Recorded in the tranquillity of Cash Cabin, a ranch on the outskirts of Nashville once owned by Johnny Cash and June Carter, now in the hands of their son John Carter Cash (who also produces this album), the songs on this, Robin's fifth album, show a marked maturity in terms of both song writing and musicianship. Most of the songs on the album are from Robin's pen with the exception of a couple of non-originals including Cindy Walker's Dream Baby, gorgeously sexing up the Roy Orbison hit in the process with a memorably cool groove and the more contemporary PJ Harvey powerhouse This Is Love, complete with a sneering guitar solo midway through; either performance a worthy contender for 'first single from the album' status.

In the only instrumental piece on the album CHR Number 137, Robin slips into the sort of acoustic pyrotechnics Stephen Stills was once known for, a sort of Jimmy Page circa Led Zep III mode, which also accompanies the video feature included on the disc, which has Robin wandering around the sprawling grounds of Cash Cabin, featuring the iconic recording studio where much of Cash's later work was recorded, with Cash memorabilia scattered randomly about the place, together with various chickens, goats and erm.. llama? I think the word I'm looking for is.. anyway..

Although this is a world away from Robin's forays into the heavy metal world of Precious Metal, the music on EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED maintains a hard edge but has reached a maturity that successfully straddles the boundaries of rock, pop and Americana in more than a pleasing way.

Allan Wilkinson
Northern Sky - Northern Sky Magazine (UK)

Janet Robin

Janet Robin released Everything Has Changed, the album produced under the guiding hands of John Carter Cash. The production speaks volumes to head knob twirler JCC’s knowledge of the ins and outs of a song, the tracks captured ranging from the Pop/Rock of album opened “View From Above” into the acoustic reverie of “Bruise Easily” and through Euro noir café sound of “Everybody Falls In Love In Prague”. Janet Robin’s vocals are the common ground, the richness of her voice wiggling into the characters and igniting the emotions.

The roots tone and textures of Everything Has Changed, and the diversity of its songs, is testament to living as a musician, not as a genre junkie. Janet Robin studied guitarin her Southern California homeland as a teenager under the tutelage of Randy Rhoads (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne). Robin became an ace six-string player and parlayed this education into a position as the lead guitarist for the all-female rock band Precious Metal, soon signed to Polygram Records and moving to Chameleon/Capitol Records.


Following the demise of Precious Metal, Robin joined Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham’s band in support of his 1992 solo album. Janet Robin has learned to attach her influences and teachers music to her own natural abilities, the results laid out in Everything Has Changed. - The Alternate Root Magazine

Janet Robin

Janet Robin released Everything Has Changed, the album produced under the guiding hands of John Carter Cash. The production speaks volumes to head knob twirler JCC’s knowledge of the ins and outs of a song, the tracks captured ranging from the Pop/Rock of album opened “View From Above” into the acoustic reverie of “Bruise Easily” and through Euro noir café sound of “Everybody Falls In Love In Prague”. Janet Robin’s vocals are the common ground, the richness of her voice wiggling into the characters and igniting the emotions.

The roots tone and textures of Everything Has Changed, and the diversity of its songs, is testament to living as a musician, not as a genre junkie. Janet Robin studied guitarin her Southern California homeland as a teenager under the tutelage of Randy Rhoads (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne). Robin became an ace six-string player and parlayed this education into a position as the lead guitarist for the all-female rock band Precious Metal, soon signed to Polygram Records and moving to Chameleon/Capitol Records.


Following the demise of Precious Metal, Robin joined Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham’s band in support of his 1992 solo album. Janet Robin has learned to attach her influences and teachers music to her own natural abilities, the results laid out in Everything Has Changed. - The Alternate Root Magazine

Covers of CD’s sometimes tend to get overlooked, but if you look closely they usually indicate what to expect. Feisty Janet Robin delivers music the way she supposes in her cover portrait.

Tutored by the late Randy Rhoads, Robin became lead guitarist in the all girl band Precious Metal and hung out with the likes of Poison, Cheap Trick and Heart. So with a pedigree like that you’ve got to expect some guitar histrionics right?

A stint in Lindsay Buckingham’s band for his solo album in 1992 saw a change in direction and a different perspective on her music. Her move away from big hairstyles and glam rock to a more acoustic style bought her further accolades and resulted in four albums and also a stint with Air Supply. A definite change in direction.

Produced by John Carter Cash and recorded at “Cash Cabin”, where Johnny Cash recorded the majority of his latter albums, this is an album that displays Robin’s various styles, which portray her previous forays. A cover of PJ Harvey’s ‘This Is Love’ whacks in the aforementioned guitar histrionics whilst ‘View From Above’ is a catchy rocking ditty.

‘Bow & Arrow’ chugs along and her version of ‘Dream Baby’ picks up where Roy Orbison left off. An extensive tourer in the Czech Republic, Robin captures her thoughts about it on ‘Everybody Falls In Love In Prague’.

The ballad ‘Bruise Easily’ is a brief respite from the rocky approach and ‘Rumor’ straddles both camps. Instrumental ‘CHR Number 137’ again ably demonstrates Robins acoustic guitar prowess.

“Everything Has Changed” indeed. Well not everything exactly but we know what you mean Janet.

This CD contains bonus video footage of Robin recording at Cash Cabin, and you can see the youtube footage here.
- Americana UK

Janet Robin "Everything Has Changed"
Label: Hypertension Music; 2010
From the picture on the cover (Janet Robin with an acoustic guitar), I prepared myself to get ready for a classic singer/songwriter folk album. As you have already guessed, I was thrown a number of curves right at track one. The song was pretty much a rocker with both acoustic and electric guitars. As the album progressed, there were some slower acoustic folk songs. In fact, there was a nice variety of tempos and volumes throughout. Janet Robin is credited with all guitar work, which is very impressive as I was expecting some ace studio guitarist to have done the leads. Silly me, as her biography details that she was taught guitar by the late (and very great) Randy Rhoads of the Ozzy Ozbourne Band. She also was in the heavy rock band, Precious Metal. She clearly shows off her rock chops on this album, but also displays a deft touch on the acoustic instrumental ?CHR Number 137?. The songs are all here own, although sometimes with a co-writer, aside from two covers. The best of the two is PJ Harvey?s ?This is Love?. Janet Robin is fine singer, a decent writer, but above all an excellent guitarist and this record provides many varied examples of that. This is a really nice listening experience.
www.janetrobin.com
David Hintz - Folk World

Janet Robin "Everything Has Changed"
Label: Hypertension Music; 2010
From the picture on the cover (Janet Robin with an acoustic guitar), I prepared myself to get ready for a classic singer/songwriter folk album. As you have already guessed, I was thrown a number of curves right at track one. The song was pretty much a rocker with both acoustic and electric guitars. As the album progressed, there were some slower acoustic folk songs. In fact, there was a nice variety of tempos and volumes throughout. Janet Robin is credited with all guitar work, which is very impressive as I was expecting some ace studio guitarist to have done the leads. Silly me, as her biography details that she was taught guitar by the late (and very great) Randy Rhoads of the Ozzy Ozbourne Band. She also was in the heavy rock band, Precious Metal. She clearly shows off her rock chops on this album, but also displays a deft touch on the acoustic instrumental ?CHR Number 137?. The songs are all here own, although sometimes with a co-writer, aside from two covers. The best of the two is PJ Harvey?s ?This is Love?. Janet Robin is fine singer, a decent writer, but above all an excellent guitarist and this record provides many varied examples of that. This is a really nice listening experience.
www.janetrobin.com
David Hintz - Folk World

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Exposed: 10 Female Guitarists You Should Know, Part 6
Posted 02/26/2013 at 1:06pm | by Laura B. Whitmore, Tom Gilbert
10
Comments
338 56

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper
Related Content

Exposed: 10 Female Guitarists You Should Know
Exposed: 10 Female Guitarists You Should Know, Part 2
Exposed: 10 Female Guitarists You Should Know, Part 3
Exposed: 10 More Female Guitarists You Should Know, Part 4
Exposed: 10 Female Guitarists You Should Know, Part 5

To say I’m thrilled to see Orianthi on the cover of the April 2013 issue of Guitar World is an understatement.

But what even I didn't realize (until I dug a bit) was that this is only the third time in Guitar World’s history that a female guitarist has graced this place of honor. The first was Chrissie Hynde in March 1981, followed by Courtney Love in January 1999. That’s more than a decade between covers. So now what?!

Well, in case you’ve been under a rock for the last couple of years, it may be starting to dawn on you that guitar isn't just for boys. Yep, there's a slew of killer female players — veterans, newbies and everything in between, of all genres and styles.

I’ve made it my mission to share some of these artists with you for the past two years, and today is no different. So here, for your reading and listening pleasure, are 10 more female guitarists you should know. And yes, there will be a quiz later!

Debbie Davies

Debbie Davies is a blues guitar legend and 30-year veteran of the road. She has been around, and she has the chops to show for it! Performing as a side woman for years, Davies has shared the stage with the likes of Maggie Mayall and the Cadillacs (an all-female band led by the wife of British bluesman John Mayall) and blues god Albert Collins.

As a session player, she has showcased her guitar talents on tons of big records, including albums by Collins and Mayall. A recording artist in her own right, Davies has released 11 solo albums since 1993, each of which demonstrates her blues guitar mastery. Her most recent recording, After the Fall, was written while she was healing from a broken arm. Clearly, nothing can stop Debbie Davies!

All right, enough talk. Let's watch Debbie rip that guitar!

Julia Jordan

This woman, the daughter of Stanley Jordan, has some big shoes to fill. She calls her music “conscious acoustic soul," and she has a warm, lyrical style. While not claiming to be a guitar virtuoso like her dad, she’s no slouch on the instrument, and her writing has a decidedly positive bent.

As her bio says, “Julia Jordan’s music quenches the ears like cool lemonade.” Mmmm, delicious! In fact, she’s made it her mission to use her music to help spread positive messages and help others. If that’s not enough of a reason to check her out, well, she just sounds good!

Here she performs "Earth Song" by Michael Jackson:

Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside

Oh my! Love this. Check out the new album from this irreverent quartet. Ford will have you moving, grooving and generally feeling like you need to shake something!

This rock ‘n’ roll rockabilly romp finds Ford front an center with some witty and addictive vocals, as she also takes on rhythm guitar duties. The Portland roots of this band ooze into each track in a most satisfying way. You owe it to yourself to check out Ford and the entire band as they tour this spring in support of Untamed Beast, which came out February 19 on Partisan Records. I have no doubt we’ll be hearing more from them … a whole lot more.

Here’s their first official single — "Party Kids" — off the new album:

Rachel Brown

While Brown's inviting voice and delicately strummed acoustic guitar take the forefront (and deservingly so), it's what's going on in the background that seems to set her apart. Brown's band is comprised of African and Caribbean musicians, adding a unique, international flavor to this brand of laid-back pop.

The fact that Rachel was born and raised in New York City with Ethiopian and Bermudian backgrounds only adds to this collage of influences and sounds. And we're not the only ones paying attention! Brown has won multiple awards for her songwriting, while sharing the stage with the likes of Mary J. Blige and Robin Thicke. She's even been called on stage by Wyclef. So whether you're a fan of pop, hip-hop, or happen to enjoy the sounds of African percussion, the music of Rachel Brown has something for everyone.

Check out Rachel playing her tune "Building Castles":

Jodee Frawlee

Hailing from Boston, this guitarist and vocalist made it to the finals in Guitar Player magazine’s Guitar Superstar contest in 2010. Prior to that, she was the recipient of the "Boston's Best Guitarist" award.

Her musical talents have not gone unnoticed in the professional community. Frawlee has been a clinician for Line 6 amps and Seymour - Guitar World Magazine

avatar
Exposed: 10 Female Guitarists You Should Know, Part 6
Posted 02/26/2013 at 1:06pm | by Laura B. Whitmore, Tom Gilbert
10
Comments
338 56

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper
Related Content

Exposed: 10 Female Guitarists You Should Know
Exposed: 10 Female Guitarists You Should Know, Part 2
Exposed: 10 Female Guitarists You Should Know, Part 3
Exposed: 10 More Female Guitarists You Should Know, Part 4
Exposed: 10 Female Guitarists You Should Know, Part 5

To say I’m thrilled to see Orianthi on the cover of the April 2013 issue of Guitar World is an understatement.

But what even I didn't realize (until I dug a bit) was that this is only the third time in Guitar World’s history that a female guitarist has graced this place of honor. The first was Chrissie Hynde in March 1981, followed by Courtney Love in January 1999. That’s more than a decade between covers. So now what?!

Well, in case you’ve been under a rock for the last couple of years, it may be starting to dawn on you that guitar isn't just for boys. Yep, there's a slew of killer female players — veterans, newbies and everything in between, of all genres and styles.

I’ve made it my mission to share some of these artists with you for the past two years, and today is no different. So here, for your reading and listening pleasure, are 10 more female guitarists you should know. And yes, there will be a quiz later!

Debbie Davies

Debbie Davies is a blues guitar legend and 30-year veteran of the road. She has been around, and she has the chops to show for it! Performing as a side woman for years, Davies has shared the stage with the likes of Maggie Mayall and the Cadillacs (an all-female band led by the wife of British bluesman John Mayall) and blues god Albert Collins.

As a session player, she has showcased her guitar talents on tons of big records, including albums by Collins and Mayall. A recording artist in her own right, Davies has released 11 solo albums since 1993, each of which demonstrates her blues guitar mastery. Her most recent recording, After the Fall, was written while she was healing from a broken arm. Clearly, nothing can stop Debbie Davies!

All right, enough talk. Let's watch Debbie rip that guitar!

Julia Jordan

This woman, the daughter of Stanley Jordan, has some big shoes to fill. She calls her music “conscious acoustic soul," and she has a warm, lyrical style. While not claiming to be a guitar virtuoso like her dad, she’s no slouch on the instrument, and her writing has a decidedly positive bent.

As her bio says, “Julia Jordan’s music quenches the ears like cool lemonade.” Mmmm, delicious! In fact, she’s made it her mission to use her music to help spread positive messages and help others. If that’s not enough of a reason to check her out, well, she just sounds good!

Here she performs "Earth Song" by Michael Jackson:

Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside

Oh my! Love this. Check out the new album from this irreverent quartet. Ford will have you moving, grooving and generally feeling like you need to shake something!

This rock ‘n’ roll rockabilly romp finds Ford front an center with some witty and addictive vocals, as she also takes on rhythm guitar duties. The Portland roots of this band ooze into each track in a most satisfying way. You owe it to yourself to check out Ford and the entire band as they tour this spring in support of Untamed Beast, which came out February 19 on Partisan Records. I have no doubt we’ll be hearing more from them … a whole lot more.

Here’s their first official single — "Party Kids" — off the new album:

Rachel Brown

While Brown's inviting voice and delicately strummed acoustic guitar take the forefront (and deservingly so), it's what's going on in the background that seems to set her apart. Brown's band is comprised of African and Caribbean musicians, adding a unique, international flavor to this brand of laid-back pop.

The fact that Rachel was born and raised in New York City with Ethiopian and Bermudian backgrounds only adds to this collage of influences and sounds. And we're not the only ones paying attention! Brown has won multiple awards for her songwriting, while sharing the stage with the likes of Mary J. Blige and Robin Thicke. She's even been called on stage by Wyclef. So whether you're a fan of pop, hip-hop, or happen to enjoy the sounds of African percussion, the music of Rachel Brown has something for everyone.

Check out Rachel playing her tune "Building Castles":

Jodee Frawlee

Hailing from Boston, this guitarist and vocalist made it to the finals in Guitar Player magazine’s Guitar Superstar contest in 2010. Prior to that, she was the recipient of the "Boston's Best Guitarist" award.

Her musical talents have not gone unnoticed in the professional community. Frawlee has been a clinician for Line 6 amps and Seymour - Guitar World Magazine